Milk Production Rises 25 Percent Under CARMAC Project

Start a Conversation

Heifer Armenias efforts in the CARMAC project help address the needs of smallholder farmers in Armenia

Story by Heifer Armenia

Communities targeted by a $22.7 million project in rural Armenia have seen a 25 percent increase in milk productivity, as reported by local cooperatives and the Armenian government. This improvement to rural livelihoods represents an immediate and substantial benefit to the Armenian people.

Heifer Armenia is supporting the revitalization of Armenian agriculture through the Community Agricultural Resource Management and Competitiveness (CARMAC) project. Less than one year after the project began, solid results are already being achieved, reinforcing the initial expectations of the project to meet the needs of smallholder farmers.

As reported by pasture-user cooperatives and the Project Implementation Unit of the Armenian Ministry of Agriculture, in the communities where these interventions are completed, a 25 percent increase in milk productivity was recorded during this lactation period. This has great impact on the lives of the farmers and their families.

Forty-nine communities already have benefited from the project. In addition to the development of cooperatives, interventions implemented with the help of partner organizations include pasture infrastructure activities like road improvement and installation of watering points for animals in remote pastures.

Within the CARMAC project, Heifer Armenia helps to organize and strengthen the cooperatives and provides agricultural equipment. Since the projects inception, 33 cooperatives have been created and have received 23 units of agricultural equipment, including 12 tractors and supplementary equipment.

About the CARMAC ProjectThe objective of the CARMAC project is to reverse environmental damage caused by unsustainable grazing, increase the economic viability of small farms through infrastructure improvements, and increase productivity to gain access to more markets. The $23.33 million project, run by the Armenian Ministry of Agriculture and funded mainly by the World Bank, aims to assist 78,000 people in 55 mountainous communities in six marzes of Armenia. CARMAC has a $10.1 million agricultural component, with Heifer providing $3.7 million. Heifer Armenia has already distributed equipment to several farming cooperatives, enabling farmers to make the best use of their land and provide better fodder for livestock.